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Results tagged ‘ All-Star Game ’

At this morning’s All-Star managers’ news conference, NL manager Bruce Bochy announced his lineup — which included Matt Holliday batting seventh and playing left field. Holliday steps in for Ryan Braun, who is unavailable due to injury.

So, during Holliday’s media availability session this morning, I asked him when he had found out that he would be in the lineup. And, well…

“I didn’t, actually,” he said. “Am I? Oh, cool. Perfect.”

I was inclined to believe him, but Holliday has been known to deadpan a joke or two. A couple more questions were asked, and I followed up. You really didn’t know?

“I honestly didn’t. Freese texted me earlier and said something about starting and I didn’t know what he was talking about.”

More to come on all of the Cardinals’ All-Stars both here and at the site later today.

The Cardinals will have two starters in Tuesday night’s All-Star Game after all. Matt Holliday will start in left field for the National League, joining Lance Berkman, who will play right field. Berkman will bat sixth, with Holliday seventh.

Berkman of course was voted in by fans as one of the three outfield starters. However, in the final couple of weeks of balloting, Matt Kemp moved past Holliday for the third elected starting spot. But when Ryan Braun decided to skip the game because of a left calf strain, a spot came open in the NL outfield.

That opened the door for Holliday, who finished fourth in fan balloting and is having one of the best seasons of any National League outfielder. It will be the second time in an All-Star starting lineup for Holliday, who batted sixth as the right fielder for the NL in 2008. Coincidentally, that was also Berkman’s last start — he was the National League’s first baseman at Yankee Stadium.

Yadier Molina will come off the bench for the National League, which has Brian McCann as its starting catcher.

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